To tell the unconventional truth, respecting no one who does not respect Cuba or the Cuban people's right to freedom.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Round 7 With Henry

"There he goes again." — Ronald Reagan

Manuel,

My position on comments is that the communists and other jerks have plenty of forums where their words are accepted as facts. I do not need to provide them with another. I am the type of person that likes to get the last word in on his own blog. Since I do have a life outside of blogging, I do not wish to engage in ongoing debates with braindead retards like Rick, Paul Benavides, Matt Glesne or John Longfellow. It's my prerogative as the blogger.

No shirtNo shoesNo service

How many times have you seen those words at public accommodations like restaurants? Even though they are public, the owner has a right to enforce a code of conduct among his GUESTS.

You do not have "right" to comment on anyone's blog nor do you have a "right" to have your comments preserved in perpetuity. Perhaps a class in constitutional law is what the doctor ordered for you. Or maybe some anti-psychotic medications.

I never denied that you praised me. All it shows is that when you were denied your "right" to call Gloria Estefan a communist at Babalu, because she made a boneheaded decision, that you snapped.

As for your super secret source on my feelings about Elian at the time of the tragedy, either he/she is lying or you are. But the odds are about 99-1 that you are the one that's lying and that your source if you have one is one of your imaginary friends like Vana.

I am glad that my presence on your blog has helped make you the king of the most commented Cuban-American blogs. Anything to help out an old friend, even if he continues to spread hurtful lies about me. Yes hurtful, because my feelings about Elian were the exact opposite of what you have portrayed. At first I was outraged that you posted those lies. But now I am thankful because it confirmed for me, and revealed to others, that you are not just a great writer, but also a petty little man who lashes out when he is not allowed to control every situation to his satisfaction.

Very well,

carry on.

4/19/2008 9:35 PM

Henry:

If it were just Rick, Paul Benavides, Matt Glesne or John Longfellow, it would be bad enough. What does the deletion of their comments suggest about you? That you are unable to refute their arguments. If a man slaps you the answer is not to turn your back on him. You may believe yourself to be his superior and maybe you are. But you don't prove that by refusing to engage him, much less censoring him and handing a victory to him by default.

But, of course, it's not just Rick, Paul Benavides, Matt Glesne or John Longfellow. You know it and everybody knows. It's also fellow Cuban exiles who have the temerity to disagree with you. Not the Ana Menéndez's, Lesniks or Arucas, because they ignore you as beneath them just as you ignore the Ricks, Glesnes, Benavides' or Longfellows. No, you delete the "little guys" who respectfully differ from you or say anything that you find politically incorrect. Moreover, you threaten, insult and ridicule them before deleting or banning them. It is the "Babalú Way" as everybody knows. You know, of course, that I try to save all your deletions, or, as I call them, your orphaned comments. If you wish I can reproduce a slew of them to demontrate that it is not just notorious Stalinists who end up in your trash bin but Cubans neither better nor worse than you and deserving all of being heard.

As for myself, I never called Gloria Estefan "a Communist" on Babalú or anywhere else. I challenge you to find such a comment. What she and her husband Emilio are is not "Communists" but the equivalent of war profiteers who traffic in the suffering of the Cuban people. That is putting it politely. Others on Babalú have referred to her as a "traitor" subsequent to Emilio's snub of Val. As always, whether you or Val regard people as "good" or "bad" largely depends on their reaction to you. I am sure that if Emilio were to make good his lunch invitation to Val or even phone him again that his opinion of Gloria and him would be quickly revised for the better.

My "super secret" source is free to make himself/herself known to you. I am not. I am, of course, too honorable to betray my source so you can dash off another of your insult-laced anathemas. But, of course, you remember perfectly well what you said about Elián then and were adamant enough in your opinion that he should be returned to Cuba as to leave a permanent impression on somebody else's mind. Next time don't be so loud.

As for the rest of your remarks, your capacity for demeaning yourself is limitless. The odd thing is that you consider me an "old friend," that is, an ex-friend, when I have always been a friend to you. But, apparently, a year's worth of thoughtful lessons in democracy and fair play have come to naught. Others would be discouraged and give up on you; certainly everybody else has. But I shall persist nevertheless. Perhaps some day you will again find yourself on the side of the angels and I can again praise you as I once did. Such, at least, is my sincere hope. Your now constant presence on RCAB shows me that you still want my approval (for whatever reason). I would be pleased to bestow it for any reason that might merit it.

Thank-you for the "great writer" compliment. At least it's not the green monster that motivates you as it does so many others.

Manny, well said. Especially the part about how they treat the "little people" by not only censoring but putting them down. That is Stalinist behavior for sure and that is what Henry and George have been doing to regular people who had a different opinion. The poodle and Baby Huey ruined a good blog.

anon asked: talking about Henry fat boy Louis. What did u do to him that scared him off of comments? R u a communist or just a retard to him

First, labeling me does not work. I flog in the face of the most active resistance.

Second, Henry, Val, George, and even Rick have all been flogged by me. And as result, take great pains to avoid my attention. Note: Nonee, and Mat are the only ones who have been flogged by me, and remained unpunished.

Look what my engagement with John Longfellow has accomplished over the years. He is almost a completely different man, but still retains the "hardhittingness" that always characterized him and the fan base that made him the most famous non-Cuban blogger on Cuban-American blogs.

Martí did this time and time again with his political foes and even with a Spanish agent who once tried to assassinate him and ended up in Cuba fighting for the cause of Cuban freedom.

It is true, you and Nonee were the only two that never buckled in the face of my relentless onslaughts. I suspect that is due to you being unashamed of Cuba, your parents, and your Cuban brothers and sisters.

Unlike, Val, Henry, and the rest of the Babuluers, with all their bravado and swagger, tucked tail at the first hint of their misplaced loyalty being exposed.

That group of people, are what others coin as: Self-loathing Cubans. Self-loathing Cubans are ashamed of who they are, and where there parents come from, and ultimately Cuba itself.

I think it is self-loathing that Henry and Val have to hide talk of "Cuba's freedom" behind censorship.

They seem to believe that all discussion about Cuba's freedom must be subjected to deletion and censorship. As they are ashamed to be placed in a position where they have to defend Cuba and her honor. As they quietly wish they had nothing to do with Cuba in the first place.

But yet, they found a sneaky way to make a quick buck off of Cuba's tragedy for the betterment of their "personal" lives. So according to Henry and Val, "why not pretend to be interested in a free Cuba!" Without of course, actually having to engage in a open discussion. Lest they be found out. Found out that they are nothing but money grubbing charlatans, abusing Cuba, much like a commie.

Henry about Manuel: "But now I am thankful because it confirmed for me, and revealed to others, that you are not just a great writer, but also a petty little man who lashes out when he is not allowed to control every situation to his satisfaction."

Very interesting because we have heard about those dead chickens on Val's lawn before. It is one of the sacrifices that he claims he has made for Cuba. In Cuba, a chicken in one's yard, quick or dead, is hardly something to lament.

For what little good it'll do, I'll weigh in with two factual clarifications:

- Henry was never in favor of returning Elian to Cuba. I know this for a fact because we had several respectful discussions about it at the time.

When you say he was, that's just a lie. Especially after he has clarified his position over and over.

- Henry's picture is not that old (Henry himself is mistaken when he says 1998). It's from 2001 or 2002. I know this because the person who arranged the photoshoot was not at the agency in 1998.

Furthermore, he looks the same. A little more weight now, but he does have a youthful face. The pictures were taken by a professional photographer with professional lighting. I looked like a movie star in mine.

I don't know what to make of your comment and I won't even try. I'll simply say that you have provided fodder for John and others to continue their speculations.

Unlike Henry, I am not fond of calling others "liars." So if you say that was your experience with Henry regarding Elián, I will not call you a liar. I will simply say that your experience departs from that which someone else purports to have with Henry in respect to this matter.

Furthermore, he looks the same. A little more weight now, but he does have a youthful face. The pictures were taken by a professional photographer with professional lighting. I looked like a movie star in mine.

There is no way Henry could ever beat Manuel in a war of words, he's like a half witted baby in diapers next to him, also am sick and tired of people thinking I'm someone Manuel made up, for the Babalunians cannot understad what loyalty is.

Ah, if this was Rick's blog, you would surely start whimpering to Rick. And just like those thick-headed bouncers on Sobe, Rick would arrograntly strut to interrupt your well-deserved floggings that you always impliedly begged for.

Yes, with Rick's delete button, you always felt safe and secure from ole Johnny boy. Rick, and his hurling immature epitaps, which quietly betrayed his pathetic and unhappy upbringing, and current existence!!

That is why God has cursed Rick with the shittiest of the shittiest blogs i have ever had the displeasure of inspecting.

And Alex, you too are cursed. With Rick's "quick" and "required" tug of his extension cord, before the jackboots kicked down his front door and seized his baby. (Talk about big-time deletions.) You went from being the (not) respected boy Prince of SOTP, to a miserable troll.

A bitter, miserable, little homeless, misunderstood nomadic troll. A troll, who trolls for respectability, but instead, finding not only scorn and ridicule.

Now, as Mat has duly noted, you have "again" put your timid little ass on the flogging pole. And now, you will be subjected to repeated verbal floggings, by me, to help perfect you. Like Hillary says, "it takes a village," to perfect the village idiot!!

Manny, thanks for the welcome. Is this Alex the same guy that had the blog with Rick? If so, what is he doing speaking up for Henry. I thought Henry and Rick can't stand each other. Henry and the sotp guys seem very much on opposite ends of the political sphere and none of them have ever appeared to be inclusive of others views. Just find it interesting.

Hey Henry, just like MCC. First, it is the homosexual-related chat. Now, jacking my name. LOL Still pissed that "someone" jacked your name in the Miami Herald Comment section. Got your panties in such a bunch that you went to mommie? Let me know when you find out who jacked your name. :)

If you had any balls, you would use you real name, and face me. But then again, you know that it is too painful for your brethen to see, a down home, good ole boy like myself, getting busy with the whip.

Posing once again... I don't even know why you even bother doing that. You don't even get anything out of posing as someone else.It's pathetic that randoms use of different screen names.It just goes to show how much of a "reality" he actually live in.

When fantomas comments at Babalu he does it under the abajofidel moniker, here he's the obnoxious fantomas, he doesn't act like this over there for fear of being banned, so we get the clown, are we not lucky?

Whether your are right wing or left wing; cuban-americans should be upset when good cuban-americans suffer racism at the hands of conservatives.

However, many right wing Cuban-Americans will cheer that their democratic cuban-americans are suffering horrific racism outside of Miami at the hands of conservative racist. Many of whom also despise conservative Cuban-Americans.

Nevermind that Menedez has been a fierce foe of Castro. And a strong supporter of Miami Cuban exiles. The conservative base is setting a very dangerous tone for Spanish-speaking Americans, and their children.

Like i said, as long as you reside in Miami it doesnt matter. Aint that right Val Prieto.

Val let me ask you a question. Who bothers you more. A 17 year old pot-smoking, long hair che t-shirt wearing hippie? Or the conservative horrific, racist wearing a 3 piece shirt? No dont answer i already know. Self-loathing cubans such as yourself, are never bothered by people who loathe you. Because deep down inside you loathe yourself.

First, fuck you!! All you do is name call. If you disagree with my point that Cuban exiles dont create hostility towards them, then make a counter argument. You dont do that. All you do is skip through here and call names. So fuck you!!

Second, because someone doesnt like you nasty ass right wing Cubans doesnt make them pro-Fidel. Dont believe me? Go anywhere from South of Broward all the way up to the panhandle. And introduce yourself as a right wing Cubn exile.

You try to accuse anybody who doesnt like Cuban exiles as communist. Nope, people in SouthFlorida just plain dont like militant Cubans. So again Fuck You, and your ettiquete!!! Oh, and have a nice day.

LOL, and that is what you want. And that is why i will do the exact opposite. I will leave RCAB upon my own violition, unless and of course, Mat asks me to do otherwise. But i will not leave under the prompts of snieveling umpah-loopahs!!

Other than that, the jacking of my name only serves to stregthens my stride, unfortunately for those who throw themselves upon the path which i travel!!

alex, Yah, actually i will go back to my usual ettiquette with you. And that is to ignore you. You want to make me the issue and not the article. There are bigger issues facing Cuba then me.

Its just like the article that i linked to above. The racist conservative cant compete with Menedez, the cuban-american senator to be. So the racist republican makes the hard-working Cuban-American the issue.

You cant make a coherent or strong counter argument to anything in the article. So you want to link me and Fidel together.

Fact of the matter is that i dont like Fidel, nor the cowardly cuban right wing piglets that fled a noble fight.

You are one of those cowardly cuban piglet, pieces of shit. One who gets to relax in comfort and style, while your contrymen suffer.

louJIF has times when he signs off "BIG JOHN"... there are times he doesn't. question: any theories as to the possible connection between the "sign-off" and a level of arousal? I'm sure the use of the term "big" is poetic license, and a relative one at that, like saying someone is "sooo hot"....

I know this is off the "beaten" path, but I am currently drunk and bored... y tengo ganas de joder. So all you psych majors out there, ante up...

Roger that!! Most Cuban-Americans have a right wing mentality. Its a hamster in a hamster wheel. When we are paying $4.00 a gallon in gas next week. They will all believe that is their right wing way of fighting Fidel.

I havent attacked you. I dont even know who you are. Having said that, if you are Val, i will quickly sniff you out, and then commence an immediate and prolonged flogging. As your stench can be quickly recognize.

I have no idea who this guy is and I did not believe you were involved in the pedophile issues. In fact, I saw one post from you saying that you were against anything that glorified that (I'm paraphrasing), so I knew it wasn't you. I just stated that I was changing the channel due to the content of the posts. I know you have nothing to do with it and I didn't even want to get involved with talking (or posting) about it.

Child molesters should all be subjected to the same amount of torture and cruelty that they have inflicted on society's most defenseless citizens. Sorry if I offend anyone...call the ACLU if you so feel inclined.

John, that was definitely not directed towards you. You and I have had lots of fun on these blogs and never once have you even come close to the abominations posted elsewhere. I enjoy you thoroughly.

All I know is that we are getting some new bloggers in here that are completely deviating from the subject at hand even more than we usually did. It's ruining all our good, clean fun....oh, well, off I go to see the only TV show I watch regularly: Hell's Kitchen. (All those VH1 "I Love" specials don't count!)

The verdict is mixed on you. First, you make an experienced comment about Sotp, but Sotp ceased before Feb, 2008, but your profile says that you have been active snce Feb 2008.

Second, you use " my word" of baby huey, to describe Gomez. Then all of the sudden today, anonymous uses "my words" in several post to attack several commenters in here.

Therefore, with your new face in RCAB, "my words" being quoted, and what is clearly a coordinated attack against RCAB and me. There can be little doubt, that you are not who you pretend yourself to be.

However, with only a handful of post to judge you by. I cannot in good conscious begin the process of defleshing you. Therefore, i will await a "few" more post.

But remember, i know both Val, and La Diva very well, and can spot them a mile away. No matter how much they attempt to camouflage themselves. So take caution!!

Told you, this is exactly what they did to MCC. The first warning shot was the homosexual chat, now it is hijacking commenters names. It is a coordinated attack by Babulu & Co, designed to sew confusion and choas.

This is what they have done to countless other successful Cuban-themed blogs. According to them, like KC, you must be brought down by any means necessary.

alex said: You should take a little journey on the real world, enrique find yourself a nice woman and try to stop solicitation of little boys on the internet

And that is exactly why i hate those guys. It is amazing how they feel comfortable, even on the internet to freely discuss crimes against children. Sick, as they used to do that all the time in the last days of MCC!!

anon said: John, that was definitely not directed towards you. You and I have had lots of fun on these blogs and never once have you even come close to the abominations posted elsewhere. I enjoy you thoroughly.

Thanks, i have said "lots" of things against my enemies. But using crimes against innocent children is well beneath me. But it speaks to a larger point about my enemies, i.e., Bauluers.

It is more about disagreements about Cuba, censorship, outings. Rather, these people are plain horrific. Cuban-Americans that "pimp" Cuban suffering for their own personal gains.

In order to keep their profits, just as any thug would do, they use any means to silence anyone who would dare threaten it. This includes using crimes against innocent children. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that KC was "outed."

Currently, Mat, is the primary target. They thought they had silenced him forever, by throwing him out of Babulu. Instead, that made Mat more defiant, thus creating RCAB. A much bigger undertaking to silence. But a undertaking that they will utilize any and all tools available!!

Yes, i want that merciless flogging that Rick just took, to sink in for the rest of you. I know a lot of you feel pity and sorrow for Rick. You are thinking, "oh my, poor Rick." But Rick "earned" that flogging for being a no-good, ill-tempered, humorless bully.

So i hope Rick's flogging serves as an instructive lesson for those who like too play billy bad ass outside of your blogs. Especially for the bloggers like Rick, Henry, Val, and Alex (of former sotp) who often hide behind their delete key and abusive language towards their visitors. Treating them like shit, talking down to them, and taking advantage of your adminstrator status.

Yes, lick your wounds, the whole lot of you. And take caution in what you say, and who you say it to. Because, believe me, there are some real sons of bitches out there. And its best not to cross them!!

I'm sorry, your blog has recently jumped the shark. While your posts about Cuba are well-written and interesting, the comments have veered way off topic and are boring. I know there's not much you can do about it.

Guess no one wants a free Cuba anymore. The struggle ain't what it used to be. Ciao , compañeros

Freedom is a messy thing. Free people do not want to be corralled or forced to walk along one trail. It's the nature of man to be unlike cows, as a poet once observed. And you are right, there's absolutely nothing that I can do about it.

That is a good obervation and worth pondering: "One thing is being anti-castro and another anti-communist."

Manuel A. Tellechea's last comment at Babalu blog, implying that while the Estefans are anti-castro, they are not anti-communist on March 29, 2007.

I'll state for the record, once and for all, that I was opposed to Elian being returned to Cuba. And the person who can verify that fact is Alex, formerly of SotP and currently of Miami and Beyond. We worked together for several years including the period of time in which Elian was in the United States.

If your readers want to continue believing the opposite, then that's their problem. Nobody is going to know better than me how I felt. You chose to mischaracterize statements I made about it, I suppose because it helped you in your little crusade against Babalu. But if this really were a fight, your tactics would be considered an illegal low blow and you'd be disqualified. You are not honorable, you're making stuff up as you go along. For over a year I rarely stopped by here. And almost every time I did I came away laughing because of the story lines you invented about me. The only one that didn't make me laugh was that one about Elian.

Anyway, Manuel I've had fun sparring with you but now am bored with it, so it's time to bid you adieu.

Some, like Val and Henry, want a blog to be "their house." A private enclave, a showcase of their opinions and intellect. Closer to a newsletter, or maybe a website, than a blog. Actually, what Henry and Val really want IS a website. Problem is, websites are boring and don't get the free traffic blogs get. Blogs are popular because they INVITE commentary and people LOVE that. People want to share each others thoughts, agreements and disagreements. Val and Henry crave the free traffic, they just don't want to pay the price of admission.

It is well known that closed, moderated or censored blogs get much less organic traffic growth than free and open blogs. It is not uncommon for blogs to start wide open when they have little traffic. Then as they grow and attract multiple regular visitors with opposing viewpoints they instinctively clam up, naively afraid to "promote" their enemies agendas. Then little by little, participation by all goes down, which leads to less traffic, and so on, and on. This will be Babalu's future under the current policies.

If Babalu were a music blog or an auto racing blog, some moderation could be welcome by members and be completely legitimate.

Unfortunately, Babalu is a political blog focusing on (of all places) communist Cuba - where freedom of just about everything is non-existent.

It's even more painful, disappointing, embarrassing and ultimately counterproductive because Babalu labels itself as an island free of a certain dictator.

Babalu's "jefes" just don't see the irony.

Babalu could have been a showcase of Cuban-American's maturity and tolerance for diverging opinions - something Cubans are not supposed to have. Mind you, no one is talking about accepting the validity of your enemy's opinions we are talking about acceptance of their right to hold and express them. A willingness to give your life for your opponents right to disagree with you.

Instead, who would have thought that the moral example of freedom of expression would be set today by a non-hyphenated Cuban woman blogging from within the island prison. I'm talking of course of Yoani Sanchez' Generation Y.

She seems to be holding her own just fine without censoring anyone. Impressing readers from around the world with her prose and poignant criticism. Thousands of posts per article, hundreds of posters countering vigorously in defense of Yoani as the corrupt regime and its minions expose themselves in front of the entire world. Amazing.